Sensitive Price Indicator
goes up slightly

ISLAMABAD (APP): The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based weekly inflation for the week ended on February 17, for the combined consumption group, witnessed a slight increase of 0.22 percent as compared to the previous week, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported Friday.
The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 169.61 points against 169.23 points registered in the previous week, according to the PBS data.
The commodities that contributed in decline in weekly inflation included chillies powdered (5.41%), eggs (5.31%), electricity for q1 (5.20%), onions (1.39%), potatoes (0.89%), gur (0.82%), sugar (0.59%), wheat flour (0.27%), lpg (0.17%), pulse moong (0.11%), and pulse mash (0.08%).
On Year-on-Year basis, the commodities that witnessed decrease in prices included chillies powdered (36.30%), pulse moong (28.43%), chicken (9.77%), sugar (5.72%), onions (3.84%) and potatoes (0.38%).
Meanwhile, the commodities that witnessed increase in prices on WoW basis, included garlic (10.53%), tomatoes (4.35%), bananas (4.28%), chicken (2.89%), cooked daal (1.94%) and vegetable ghee 2.5kg (1.08%) and non-food items petrol (8.12%), diesel (6.52%), match box (2.17%) and long cloth (1.50%).
The items that witnessed increase in prices on yoy basis included tomatoes (322.87%), electricity for q1 (65.79%), garlic (60.98%), lpg (55.11%), mustard oil (48.44%), petrol (42.28%), cooking oil 5 litre (41.81%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (39.13%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (38.97%), washing soap (38.40%), pulse masoor (37.19%) and diesel (32.26%).
Meanwhile, as compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 18.09 percent.
The weekly SPI with base year 2015-16=100 is covering 17 urban centers and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.
The Sensitive Price Indicator for the lowest consumption group up to Rs17,732 witnessed 0.16 percent decrease and down up to 177.28 this week from 177.57 points in last week whereas the SPI for consumption group from Rs17,732-22,888 decreased by 0.26 percent.
The SPI for consumption groups from Rs22,889-29,517; Rs29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175 increased by 0.14 percent, 0.45 percent and 0.29 respectively. During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 28 (54.90%) items increased, 11 (21.57%) items decreased and 12 (23.53%) items remained stable.
It is pertinent to mention here that the weekly SPI with base year 2015-16=100 is covering 17 urban centers and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.